I went solo on the community grocery delivery this week, what with people away on hols (or touring TinyForests!), which was great because I got to do more lifting and running by myself.

This week, the menu included bread rolls, ciabatta, lots of betacarotene veg (carrots, tomatoes, red peppers) and tubs of cherry jam spread (due to expire soon, so get down there if you like a cherry cake/doughtnut). Also tinned beans and other stuff. We made short work of the delivery, and I helped a bit more shifting some non-perishables into the store cupboard downstairs.

Sign up quick if you want a Monday morning work out - only two places available next week so we don't overcrowd them.

Our latest reprise of the regular Monday delivery saw Subham and I helping unload: peppers, bananas, carrots, butter, soup, more bananas, bottled and canned drinks, more carrots, mushrooms, some kind of breaded chicken things, flapjacks, acai puree (!!) and lots more. We ran trolleys up and down the ramp, helped the brilliant delivery team from Volunteers on Wheels unload the van, ran loaded trolleys up the ramp, helped sort things and we took things down in the lift to the store cupboards and fridge. All in, a great start to the week - jog, weights, walk and plenty of vitamin D.

Subham and I headed to Community Grocer in North Finchley to help with the weekly food delivery. Our job was simple: wait for the delivery lorry, carry the food into the shop, and help sort it into storage or onto the shelves ready for customers.

It’s a straightforward task and often over quite quickly, depending on how many volunteers are around, but it’s always worthwhile. A few extra pairs of hands help keep things running smoothly and support a really valuable community service for local people.

Afterwards, Subham and I took a walk over to Stephens House & Gardens to enjoy the sunshine and even had a bit of fun on the outdoor gym equipment before heading home.

GoodGymer Subham joined the St. Barnabus Community Grocery stalwart Kenny and shifted loads of veg and soups to storage downstairs and also helped with the arduous task of puttig trolleys away. The Community Grocery crew shared their gratitude as they prepared for the eager customers making use of the Community Grocery's stock.

Just a little old me helping out at the Community Grocer this week, but luckily it was a relatively small delivery. Good for me, perhaps not quite so good for the shop, as stocks were a bit lighter than usual!

There were sacks of potatoes, boxes of oranges and a few other essentials to move from the van into storage. The potatoes were definitely the toughest challenge, so I put my backward walking technique into action to pull the loaded trolley up the slope. It certainly worked—and was quite good fun too! Apparently walking backwards has benefits for balance, coordination and strengthening different muscles, so maybe I was getting a mini workout as well as helping the community.

A small delivery, but every bag unpacked helps keep the Community Grocer stocked and ready to support local people.

This mission started with a very cheerful group prayer for the staff at North Finchley Community Grocery, followed by a not-too-lengthy wait outside in the jolly glorious, Monday morning sunshine. Once the delivery van arrived, it was full steam ahead!

Empty trollies and cage trollies were brought down to the pavement, just outside St Barnabas Church, but were very quickly loaded up with all manner of delicious produce (most notably, a surprisingly large amount of mango, which delighted the staff, as well as the customers who were all too eager to purchase some!). These were all then taken back up and inside the church, where they were offloaded onto small dollies for transporting ease, and for the staff to sort and organise.

Once all of the items were organised and divvied out, it was our job to take the spare produce down to the basement where we stored the items away in the fridge, freezer and on the shelves. We also helped with the dismantling and returning of the empty cage trollies to their home for the week.

This was also the day that I found out that I really need to cut down on the chocolates if I want to comfortably fit in to the St Barnabas Church lift with five dismantled cage trollies…